US Defense Chief Meets South Korean Counterpart, Stresses Military Readiness

Anadolu Agency : US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday met with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and discussed bilateral ties.
During the closed-door meeting at the Pentagon, Hegseth described the current period as a “pivotal moment” for the US-South Korea alliance and emphasized the importance of close coordination between the two nations.
“Together, our nations are taking strong actions to ensure our combined readiness and to defend vital national security interests,” he said.
The secretary pointed to President Donald Trump’s authorization of Operation Epic Fury against Iran as evidence of the administration’s commitment to confronting global threats.
Hegseth said the strength of the alliance with South Korea remains “critical” and stressed that the US expects allies and partners to stand together during periods of conflict.
He also praised Seoul’s recent pledge to increase defense spending, calling it an important example of alliance burden-sharing.
“As I noted during my visit to Seoul last November, (South) Korea’s commitment to increase defense spending and your leadership in assuming primary responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula is very important,” Hegseth said, referring to his visit to the Korean Peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone last year.
According to Hegseth, greater burden-sharing among allies is a central component of the 2026 US National Defense Strategy, alongside defending the US homeland, deterring China in the Indo-Pacific and expanding the American defense industrial base.
The Pentagon chief said the meeting would help strengthen momentum between the allies ahead of the upcoming Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue later this week in Washington.
The annual dialogue, most recently held in Seoul in September 2025, is aimed at deepening defense cooperation and advancing the strategic interests of both countries amid ongoing regional tensions and security concerns on the Korean Peninsula.
The two chiefs also discussed advancing the transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul, as well as South Korea’s push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency.
South Korea is seeking to regain wartime command of its troops from the US before President Lee Jae Myung’s five-year term ends in 2030. Seoul regained peacetime operational control from Washington in 1994 after handing it over during the 1950-53 Korean War, but wartime operational command still remains under US control.